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Audio Conferencing Featured Article

January 04, 2018

Keeping Audio Conferencing Effective

By Mandi Nowitz
Web Editor

Conference calls tend to feel like more effort than they are worth; between joining, making sure everyone is on the same page, there are limited distractions, and most importantly, the audio quality is clear. It should feel as if everyone involved is in the same room, even if there are 1200 miles between participants.

According to LoopUp’s Enterprise Conferencing: User Behavior & Impact Report, U.S. and U.K. professionals waste roughly 15 minutes per conference call. The extra time goes toward distractions or trying to get on the call, meaning a loss of $34 billion for businesses. These results are hard to hear for the average CEO.

“I’d be curious to see how those statistics rank up against those in in-person meetings. My guess is that a poorly “run meeting is a poorly run meeting is a poorly run meeting, whether in-person or in a conference call,” shared Rebecca Achurch, CAE, CEO of Achurch Consulting. Achurch has offered some guidance to become more efficient when it comes to managing conference calls, without wasting resources.

Focus is key. Though multitasking is a great skill, Achurch believes that being fully immersed in the conversation enhances the calls. When the sole sense used during conference calls is hearing, all further distractions should be disabled for the optimum experience. Despite all of the conference mediums available, dial-in audio is still the preferred method.

Additionally, organizers should always be prepared and ready meaning dial-in a few minutes early, just to avoid any issues. There should always be a back-up plan, as well just in case the traditional telephony method fails at the last minute. Any new technology must be tested prior to the calls to perfect the audio to ensure all participants can hear with the utmost clarity.

Finally, Archurch urges conference organizers to get to know those on the call to build a better repartee and to truly listen. This enables the leaders to begin “understanding differences and nuances in the tone of their voices and setting that baseline, so you can potentially tell when somebody is upset because you’re heard it when they’re not upset.”